After the Divorce, a Treasure Map Made Me a 1,000-Trillionaire Chapter 9
The next day, I wrapped the book as neatly as I could and made my way to H Auction, said to be the largest auction house in the country.
“Whoa... just look at that building.”
Even in Apgujeong—where land prices are notoriously sky-high—H Auction owned an entire massive building. Just from its grand exterior, you could already guess how many valuable items passed through their hands.
As I entered the building, a young man in a suit, who looked around my age, greeted me politely.
“Welcome. How may I help you today?”
“I’ve brought an item I’d like to put up for auction.”
After hearing my request, the man bowed slightly and replied apologetically.
“I’m terribly sorry, sir. But our items go through a formal verification process before being accepted, and unfortunately, we don’t typically take items from non-members…”
He went on with a long explanation, but in simpler terms—he wasn’t interested in dealing with items brought in by some random guy off the street.
But H Auction isn’t the only game in town. No need to beg.
“I see. Then I’ll look into other options.”
As I turned to leave, the very same man who was just refusing me suddenly called out, trying to stop me.
“Wait, sir! If I may… can I at least ask what the item is?”
“Does the type of item change the policy?”
“Well… if it’s highly liquid and in high demand, we sometimes make exceptions.”
I carefully pulled the book out of my bag and said,
“It’s a first edition of Harry Potter.”
The moment he heard that, his eyes lit up—it was a complete change from earlier.
Sure, it wasn’t like this was a one-of-a-kind book. There were quite a few in circulation. But even so, Harry Potter first editions were always a hot item at auctions. And nowadays, most had already been snapped up by collectors, making the remaining supply scarce.
He asked again, this time with much more caution.
“Are… are you serious? Is it really a first edition?”
“Yes. You’re welcome to confirm it yourself.”
Seeing how confident I was, the man’s attitude shifted instantly.
“My sincerest apologies, sir. It seems there was a misunderstanding earlier. May I ask if we could step inside to examine the item properly?”
Talk about a 180-degree turn.
I guess when you're used to dealing with wealthy clients, even your apologies are polished.
The irritation I’d felt just moments ago melted away.
Inside the private room, everything looked expensive—from the chairs to the table. Even the air conditioning was running quietly through a ceiling vent. Not a single corner looked cheap.
The suited man sat across from me and introduced himself formally.
“Apologies for the delay. I’m Min Tae-seung, Team 2 Appraiser at H Auction.”
I hesitated for a second, wondering if I should introduce myself as well, but he helped lighten the mood right away.
“I’m really sorry about earlier. As Korea’s top auction house, we get all sorts of old, worthless items brought in by individuals, so we’ve grown a bit wary.”
I understood what he meant. They probably had too many walk-ins bringing in useless junk, making them less patient with casual sellers like me.
He put on gloves and asked politely.
“May I take a look at the book?”
I carefully placed the book in front of him.
He nodded and began a thorough examination—checking the cover, flipping through the pages, inspecting every detail.
About ten minutes later, he placed it down and exclaimed in awe.
“This is incredible. I never imagined I’d see a first edition Harry Potter in such pristine condition.”
“Yes. We’ve auctioned first editions before, twice, but none of them were in good condition. This… this one looks brand new. Honestly, I’d believe it if you told me it had just been printed.”
I had guessed it was in great condition—maybe even S-grade—but I wasn’t an appraiser. I’d worried they might nitpick flaws, but hearing this meant I had something truly exceptional in my hands.
‘I might need to raise the asking price after all…’
Min Tae-seung asked me cautiously,
“Sir, if you don’t mind me asking, where did you find this book?”
I had no reason to lie. I didn’t pick it up off the street—I paid for it. So I told him honestly.
“I bought it at a secondhand bookstore I frequent.”
“A… a secondhand bookstore? Are you sure? Who would let go of this at a used bookshop…”
“Who knows? Maybe someone studied in the UK, bought the book, then completely forgot about it.”
He chuckled, shaking his head in disbelief.
“Well… if that’s true, this condition really is a miracle.”
“Yes. Rare books do pop up in used bookstores from time to time, but most are in terrible shape. Finding one in S-grade condition like this… that’s nearly unheard of.”
Now that I thought about it, the shop’s rare books section was right next to an air purifier, and that corner didn’t get much sunlight. That must’ve helped preserve it.
He pulled out a contract and asked,
“Sir, would you be willing to consign this book to us for auction?”
This was a guaranteed sale.
Even if it didn’t sell in Korea, international collectors would line up for it. And no first edition in such condition had ever gone to auction before. I could easily expect 100 million won (around $75,000) or more.
‘Auction’s great and all, but…’
There was one problem.
Auctions take too long.
To move on to the next treasure, I needed cash fast. Even in the fastest case, it would take a month to get paid.
The real reason I came to H Auction was something else I’d seen on their website:
[Direct Purchase Available]
I held the book and asked,
“Team Leader Min, would H Auction be interested in purchasing this book directly?”
“Hmm… a direct purchase, you say…”
He thought for a moment, then made me an offer.
“How about 80 million won?”
Even if I sold it at auction for 100 million, after fees and commissions, I wouldn’t get that much more. If the book’s worth truly was 100 million, this was a reasonable starting point.
‘I like that he didn’t lowball me.’
But that’s only assuming it was worth 100 million.
If he offered 80 million right off the bat, it probably meant he believed it was worth at least 120 million.
“Team Leader Min, I did my homework before coming here. A B-grade copy of this first edition sold for $50,000 not long ago. And as you know, condition is everything when it comes to rare book auctions. Isn’t that right?”
If I accepted his first offer without pushing back, my grandfather would rise from the grave and scold me.
“Sir, in our appraisal, this book is worth around 100 million won. Including our fees and the holding risk on our side, 80 million is a fair offer.”
He was making his case logically.
But now was the time to push.
Grandpa used to haggle for a discount even on meat, opening with ridiculous offers:
— “Why’s this so expensive?! Knock off 3,000 won!” — “Sir, at that price we can’t even make a profit. How about 1,000 off?” — “Come on, make it 500 more. I’ll get ice cream for my nephew.” — “Alright, alright. Just pay 8,500.” — “Thanks! I’ll come again!”
Turns out, Trump used this exact tactic all the time.
Start with an outrageous offer.
“How about 110 million won?”
“I’m afraid that’s too much. We wouldn’t even be sure we could sell it at that price.”
I stood up without hesitation, book in hand.
‘Time to make him desperate.’
“I understand. In that case, I’ll take it elsewhere.”
As I turned to leave, he called out again.
“W-Wait! Sir! Please, just a moment!”
“Is there anything else to discuss?”
He clearly didn’t want to lose this deal—probably because he knew how liquid this item was.
“Ninety… 90 million won! What do you say?”
Still room to go higher.
“Let’s make it a clean 100 million. No more, no less. What do you say?”
He hesitated at the round figure.
“Sir… could you wait five minutes? I need to check with upper management.”
“Thank you. I’ll be right back.”
‘Let’s see how high they’ll go.’
Ten minutes later, Min Tae-seung returned, composed.
“We’ve discussed it thoroughly,” he said. “Here is our final offer—98 million won.”
I was originally aiming for 95 million.
And it’s not like this would be my last time dealing with them, so no need to push too hard and ruin a good relationship.
“Alright. Let’s go with that.”
We signed the contract, and I handed over the book to H Auction.
Not long after, the full 98 million won was deposited into my bank account without a single fee deduction.
As expected of the country’s top auction house.
Before I left, Min handed me a business card.
“If you ever have another item you want to sell, please don’t hesitate to call.”
Whistling happily, I returned to my goshiwon and checked my balance again.
[Balance: 158,003,400 KRW]
I had over 150 million won in my account now.
Not long ago, I was barely scraping by, paying off debts with only a few ten-thousand won to my name. But in just a few weeks, my net worth had grown enough to get a decent villa deposit.
‘Amazing. Seriously.’
For someone who lived on a 100,000-won monthly allowance for years, this felt like the universe finally repaying me.
I grinned at my bank balance, wondering what to do next… when suddenly—
Loud thumps echoed from somewhere—next door? Two doors down?
I couldn’t say anything—I’d been part of the noise pollution not too long ago myself. That’s how goshiwons are. One noise, and the entire building hears it.
‘Maybe I should start house-hunting tomorrow.’
With this money, I could definitely afford a small officetel or even an old villa.
And for the sake of future treasures, this place really wasn’t ideal.
‘Yeah. Someone could steal a treasure while I’m gone.’
Heck, they were already stealing food—what’s stopping them from taking a book?
Just as I was opening my house-hunting app to browse rentals—
The reply came in a now-familiar voice—it was a woman.
“Um… do you have a moment right now?”
I opened the door to find—none other than the goshiwon manager standing there.